DIATRIBE - Odite Sermonis MLP

The French one-man band Dïatrïbe came into existence in 2019, “with the aim” (as its creator explains) “of creating radical and intense music, an extension of the French Orthodox scene.” Embracing the mysticism and spiritual subject matter of black metal, Dïatrïbe devoted itself to “the artistic exploration of something else, creeping and powerful like a fiery cloud, uncompromising with very clear guidelines, acceptance to let go to the unknown, the search for this unexplained vibration that grabs us between fear and fascination… an artistic vision of the unfathomable, indomitable abyss hidden behind all things”.

Within the music there’s a dense “lo-fi” quality in the guitar abrasion and in the reverberation of scorching screams, but those caustic, saturating aspects of the sound don’t obscure the power of the riffs or the emotional potency of the melodies, which guide the listener into moods of haunting grief and shattering tragedy, as well as sensations of cruelty and violence.

With two exceptions among the six tracks, the assaulting power of the music is nearly overwhelming. There’s a bit of eerie ambience at the outset of the EP’s opener “Diatribe”, coupled with scratchy notes that seem to wail in misery, but then the music explodes in a typhoon of thunderous drums, savage shrieks, and roiling riffage from which blazing tones spear up and out. That vortex of devastating yet glorious sound periodically abates, and waves of tragic melody flow like cold tides of sorrow over feverish snare and cymbal crashes.

Black vinyl with insert.

Vendetta 2021